“Agatha.”
Gideon spoke her name softly, but there was nothing gentle in his voice. Pain filled it. Pain mixed with betrayal, anger, and something far darker than anything Agatha had ever heard from him before. The sound of it sent a cold shudder through her body.
For a moment, she could only stare at him. The Gideon she remembered had always looked at her with warmth. Even when he was angry with everyone else, his expression softened whenever his eyes found hers. He had defended her from cruel words, stayed beside her whenever she was frightened, and promised that no one would ever harm her while he lived.
But the man standing inside her home now did not look like the boy she had grown up with. His dark hair was longer and unkempt. His clothes were stained from travel, and exhaustion ha
